Inter Milan and AC Milan came away from the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals with positive results on Wednesday.
Inter rallied to beat visiting Villarreal 2-1, and AC Milan held hosts Lyon to a 0-0 draw. The second-leg matches are scheduled for Tuesday.
Obafemi Martins and Adriano scored a goal each for Inter, who last won the European Cup in 1965.
Martins scored the winning goal in the 54th minute after Dejan Stankovic controlled the ball nicely and sent a cross into the middle of the area that the Nigerian kicked into the net despite being off balance.
”We played very, very well the first 25 minutes of the second half and maybe we paid for that with some fatigue in the final quarter-hour,” Inter coach Robert Mancini said.
Adriano scored Inter’s first goal in the seventh minute, and Stankovic again made the final pass. The Serbia-Montenegro international, filling in for Luis Figo on the right wing, sent a ball in front of the net that Villarreal defender Juan Manuel Pena failed to clear.
In the first minute, Jose Mari Romero’s shot was saved by Inter goalkeeper Francesco Toldo, but the rebound went to Diego Forlan, who scored the opening goal and gave the visitors an early lead.
Mancini had indicated he might not start Adriano due to the forward’s poor form — he entered with only three goals this year in all competitions, including one penalty. He had scored 10 between August and December.
Adriano did start, though, and was a force throughout the first half, barely missing headers in the 18th and 42nd minutes and free kicks in the 35th and 45th.
”He played a good game. He tried hard at the beginning,” Mancini said. ”It was important that he scored a goal; I hope that helps him. But he can do better.”
The away goal, however, would be enough for Villarreal to advance to the semifinals if they beat Inter 1-0 in Tuesday’s second leg.
”We don’t like to lose, but there are still 90 minutes to play,” Villarreal coach Manuel Pellegrini said.
Both Milan and Lyon had several chances to score at Stade Gerland — Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko wasted three scoring chances and Lyon goalkeeper Gregory Coupet made several key saves.
”We showed them too much respect in the first 20 minutes,” Lyon coach Gerard Houllier said. ”So a 0-0 draw is not a bad result.”
Lyon attacked strongly in the second half, but was thwarted by a Milan defence led by Alessandro Nesta and Kakha Kaladze.
With time running out, Tiago shot from 25m and Milan goalkeeper Dida had to be alert to tip it over the bar. Tiago, however, will miss the second leg after receiving a yellow card in the final seconds.
”Lyon is a very strong team with solid organisation and we put them under a lot of pressure, but they responded well in the second half,” Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti said. ”I wouldn’t say we have the advantage. I think it is still 50-50.”
Lyon, the four-time defending French champions, have never reached the European Cup semifinals. Six-time champions Milan last won the trophy in 2003 and were runners-up to Liverpool last year.
”We were frozen with fear at the start. Something about the legend of AC Milan gets in your head,” Houllier said.
On Tuesday, Arsenal overcame the emotional return of former captain Patrick Vieira to beat Juventus 2-0, while FC Barcelona had to settle for a 0-0 draw at Benfica.
Cesc Fabregas and Thierry Henry scored a goal each for Arsenal.
Vieira, who had spent the previous nine years with the Gunners in London, was given a yellow card in the 71st minute for kicking Jose Antonio Reyes. That card will keep Vieira from playing in the second leg in Turin on Wednesday. — Sapa-AP